Motor.



No. 675,848. Patented June 4, i90l.

A. BENSON.

IOTOR.

(Application fllad Jun. 81, 1901.)

(lo Iodol.)

mmmm

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANDRE\V BENSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ROBERT I.PRICE AND JOHN P. PRICE, OF SAME PLACE.

MOTOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 675,848, dated June 4,1901.

Serial No. 45,409. (No modeL have invented certain new and useful Im-'provements in Motors, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactspecification.

My invention relates more particularly to motors for propelling vehiclesand vessels; and it has for its primary object to provide improved meanswhereby an explosive-engine may be started in either direction orstopped and reversed without turning the crank-shaft thereof by hand andas readily and with the same degree of certainty as may be done with asteam-engine.

Another object of my invention is to provide an automobile with improvedmeans whereby different movements of a single controlling-handle may beutilized for governing the speed of the vehicle and the speed of theengine independently or for stopping and starting the engine and theelectric motor synchronously or for steering the vehicle and controllingits speed independently of the speed of the engine.

With these ends in view my invention consists in certain features ofnovelty in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts bywhich the said objects and certain other objects hereinafter appearingare attained, all as fully described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the said drawings, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of myimprovements as applied to an automobile. Fig. l is a diagram showingthe shunt-wound motor connections hereinafter described. Fig. 2 is anenlarged diagrammatic plan view of the starting-box and connections; andFig. 3 is adetail of the steering and controlling mechanism in sideelevation and partly in section hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown my invention as applied to avehicle only; but the alterations necessary for its application to avessel will be obvious to all skilled in the art.

1 represents a gasolene or explosive engine,

shown in the drawings as comprising three cylinders and having itscrank-shaft 2 provided with a gear-wheel 3, which meshes with a pinion 4on the armature-shaft of an electric motor 5,01 any other suitablemechanical connection between the shaft of the engine and the armatureof the motor that will impart the movement of one to the other may beemployed.

6 represents a storage battery or othersuitable source of electricenergy, and 7 is a starting-box having a controller 8. The negative poleof the battery 6 is connected by conductor 9 with one terminal of thearmaturecoils-that is to say, with one of the brusheswhile the positivepole of the battery is connected by conductor 10 with a binding-post 11of the starting-box 7, and this post is connected to a contact-plate 12in any suitable way, the connections shown in the drawings consisting ofconductor 13, leading to bindingpost 14, which is connected by conductor15 (shown in dotted lines) with the plate 12. Binding-post 11 is alsoconnected by conductor 16 with the controller 8. The other brush of thearmature is connected by conductor 17 to plate 18, which is considerablyelongated and is so arranged that while the controller 8 is in contactwith the plate 12 it will also be in contact with the plate 18. Theplate 18 is connected at one end to a series of resistances havingcontact-buttons 19 arranged within the are described by the controller 8and adapted to be impinged by the latter. Arranged between thecontact-plates 12 18 or at any other suitable point is a thirdcontact-plate 20, which is also elongated like plates 12 18, and thisplate 20 is connected by conductor 21 to one electrode of the electricigniter of each of the cylinders of the gasolene-cngine, while the otherelectrode is connected, through the metallic parts of the engine or anyother suitable way, to a conductor 22, which constitutes one terminal ofa cored coil 23, whose other terminal, 24, is connected to the negativepole of battery (3 through the conductor 9. The plate 20 is alsoconnected to two contact-buttons 25 26 by means of conductors 27 28, andthe conductor 9 is connected to two contact-buttons 29 30 by conductor31. The terminals 32 o 01' the field-coils are connected, respectively,with the ends of parallel switches 31 35, which are so pivoted thattheir opposite ends will contact with buttons 30, respectively, as nowappears in Fig. 1, or with 20 26 when shifted to the right.

\Vith the parts and connections arranged as in Fig. 1 the motor and theelectric circuit of the engine-igniter are cutout; but should thecontroller 8 be advanced to contact with the plates 12 20 it will beseen that the fieldcoils of the motor 5, which. is of the shuntwoundtype, so as to serve as both a motor and a generator, will be energizedfrom the battery o through 10, 11, 13, 11, 15,12, 8", 8", 2o, 27, 35,33, 32, :n, so, 31, and 9, the parts 8 S on controller 8 being twocontact points which are connected together, but insulated from thecontroller 8, and consequently connect plates 12 2O electrically whenthe controller is advanced. It is also evident that the ends ofcontact-plates 12 20 being connected by contacts o 8" before the end ofthe controller touches either of the resistancebuttons 19 thefield-coils of the motor will be energized in advance of the passage ofany current through the controller 8 to the resistance-buttons 19, whichare interposed in the circuit controlling the armature-coils. Hence thefield-magnets may be energized in advance of energizing thearmature-core and the armature will be started by the action of themagnetized field-core in advance of the armature core being energized-afeature which is essential to the operation of a shuntwound dynamo as amotor. It will also be seen that a part of the current passing throughthe field-coils will also pass through the coil 23 and the igniters ofthe engine via conductors 2", 21, 22, 21, and S and thus enable theelectrodes of the igniters to close the ignitercircuit and produce aspark when they separate in the usual way.

The explosivc-enginel being so constructed as to be capable of runningin either direction, according to the direction in which it is started,it will be seen that the rotation of the armature of the motor in eitherdirection will cause the piston or pistons of the explosive-engine todraw in a charge, which will be ignited at the proper time by theigniters, thus starting the engine by the movement of the controller 8without the necessity of turning the engine-shaft by hand. Assumingtheengine to be running and it should be desired to reverse it, it issimply necessary to stop the engine in any suitable Way, but preferablyby opening the ignitcr-circuit, which is accomplished synchronously withthe opening of the circuit passing through the fieldcoils, both beingaccomplished by moving the controller 8 away from the plates 12 20 andcontact-buttons 15), thus also stopping the motor. It now the conductorsof the motorcircuit be crossed, so that the current will pass throughthe motor in the opposite direction and reverse the movement of themotor as soon as the controller 8 is again thrown into operativeposition, the explosive-engine will also be reversed. and started in thereverse direction by the movement of the motor, as before described. Asameans for accomplishing this crossing of the conductors of themotor-circuit, or, in other words, reversing the direction of thecurrent through the motor, I employ the parallel switches 3t 35, beforedescribed, it being understood that when the free ends of these switchesare moved from their present positions to the contacts 29 26,respectively, the direction of the current through the field-coils willbe reversed and instead of passing in through the conductor 33 will passin through 28 2o 31 32 and return through conductor to contactbutton 29and thence to the negative pole of the battery via conductors 31 and 9.

After the engine gets under way a part of its power may be utilized fordriving the electrical apparatus as a generator or dynamo forreplenishing the battery (3, and thus keeping up a suilicient store ofelectricity therein to start the engine whenever desired.

36 represents a handle or lever for steering the vehicle and whichaccording to my invention is also made to serve as a means ofcontrolling the specd of the vehicle independently of the speed of theengine, controlling the speed of the engine independently of the speedof the vehicle, and for controlling the current to the motor. Thishandle 36 has three distinct mevementsto wit, an tip-anddown movement, arotary movement on its longitudinal axis, and a lateral or side-tosideoscillation. In the drawings this is shown diagrammatically, and anysuitable construction for accomplishing these movements may be employed.In the diagrammatic illustration the handle 36 is provided at one endwith a hub or drum 37, which is swiveled on an arm 38, so as to turnthereon and at the same time be capable of deflecting said arm either upand down or from side to side. The outer end of the arm is pivoted tothe upper end of a bracket 39, which is supported on a rotary sleeve 40,while at an intermediate point the arm is pivoted to a stem 11, passingthrough the sleeve 10. The sleeve 10 may be swiveled in any suitablesupport 42, so as to be capable of rotating, but incapable of verticalmovement, and its lower end is provided with a crank-arm 13, which isconnected to the inner ends of the rods 41, which govern thesteering-wheels 45. The lower end of the stem 11 is pivoted to one armof a bell-crank level-1t whose other arm is connected by rod -17 withone arm of a second bell-crank 48, whose other arm engages a collar 1-0,which controls a clutch (31 for imparting the movement of theengine-shaft 2 with greater or less force to the driving-axle 50 throughthe intermediary of any suitable connection, as a chain 51 and sprockets52 53. By this means it will be seen that the up-and-down movement ofthe operating-handle 36 will deflect the collar 49 to one side or theother and by thus affecting the clutch will vary the speed of thevehicle independently of the speed of the engine, while the lateral orside-to-side motion of the handle 36 will steer the vehicle to the rightor to the left.

In order now that the rotary or twisting motion of the handle may beutilized for controlling the speed of the engine independently of thespeed of the vehicle and for also closing the igniter and motorcircuits, and thereby starting the engine, I pass around the drum 37 acord, cable, or other suitable connection 54, which is secured to asegment 55 at the pivoted end of the controller 8 in such a manner thatthe movement of the cable 54 in one direction will close the controller8 and in the opposite direction will open it. This cable is alsoconnected to any suitable means for controlling the inlet-valves 56 ofthe engine 1, so that when the cable is pulled in one direction thevalves will be permitted to open to their full limit and when pulled inthe other direction will be throttled down in a greater or less degree.As a means for accom plishing this I employ a bar 57, connected to thecable 5% and having an incline 58 for each of the valves 56 and againstwhich inclines rest lugs or antifriction-rollers 59, connected with thevalves 56, respectively. Thus it will be seen that when the narrow partof the incline is under or in engagement with the lug 59 the suction ofthe engine will cause the valve to open its full extent, it being closedin any of the well-known ways, and when the Wider part of the incline isin engagement with the lug 59 the valve will be more or less preventedfrom opening.

When the electrical apparatus 5 is being driven as a generator ordynamo, it is of course not desirable to interpose the resistances 19 inthe circuit connecting it with the battery; but it is frequentlynecessary during such periods to vary the speed of the engine, or, inother words, to shift the bar 57 in one direction or the other forsuiting the speed of the engine to the work to be done, and as thismovement of bar 57 imparts motion to the cont-roller 8 the latter wouldof necessity jump back and forth along the contaet-buttons 10, and thusresist the charging of the battery were it not for the elongatedcontact-plate 18, along which the end of the controller plays throughouta considerable range during the adjustment of the bar 57 withoutincreasing or varying the resistance in the charging-circuit.

60 is a spring or other equivalent device connected to the cable 5i orto any other suitable part for causing the controller 8 to resume itsinoperative position, as shown in Fig. 1, as soon as the handle 36 isreleased.

The clutch before referred to for imparting the power of theengine-shaft 2 with greater or less degree to the axle 50, and whichclutch is designated in Fig. 1 generally by the reference-numeral (i1,constitutes the subjectmatter of the claims of my copending application, Serial No. 45,410, filed January Lil, 1901, allowed March 2-2,1901, to which reference may be had for an umlerstanding thereof.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of a reversible explosive-engine, an electric motor,a mechanical operative connection between the engineshaft and armatureof the motor whereby they will rotate in unison, a source of electricityconnected with the motor, means for checking the speed of the engine andmeans for reversing the current through the motor, substantially as setforth.

2. The combination of a reversible explosive-engine, a combined electricgenerator and motor having its armature operatively connectedmechanically with the engineshaft, means for checking the speed of theengine, a storage battery, means for conducting the current of thegenerator into said battery, means for conducting the current of thebattery to the motor and means for reversing the latter current throughthe motor, substantially as set forth.

The combination of a reversible explo sive-engine, an electric motorhaving its armature mechanically connected with the engine-shaft, meansfor simultaneously stopping the engine and the motor and means forreversing the motor, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of an explosive-engine having an electric igniter, anelectric motor having its armature-shaft mechanically connected with theengine-shaft, means for controlling the speed of the engine, astartingboX having a controller and a series of resistance-buttons forcontrolling the current to the motor, means for moving said controllersynchronously with said means for controlling the speed of the engine,and an elongated contact-plate interposed in circuit with said buttonsand adapted to contact with said controller whereby the controller maymove back and forth as the speed of the engine is varied without varyingthe current to the motor, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination of a reversible explosive-engine having an electricigniter, an elec tric motor having its armature mechanically connectedwith the engine-shaft, electric circuits for supplying said igniter andmotor respectively, means for synchronously opening said circuits andmeans for reversing the motor-circuit through the motor, substantiallyas set forth.

6. The combination with a vehicle of a roversible explosive-engine, anelectric motor having its armature mechanically connected with theengine-shaft, means for controlling the speed of the engineindependently of the trolling the engine and means for controlling speedof the vehicle, means for controlling the speed ofthevehielerespectively,substanthe speed of the vehicle independently ofthe tially as set forth.

speed of the engine, means for reversing the ANDRPHV BENSON. electricmotor, an operating-handle having Witnesses: two distinct movements andmeans for in1- EDNA I JOHNSON,

partingsaid movements tosaid means for 0011- 1 F. A. HOPKINS.

